A Case Report Of IgA Dermatitis Herpetiformis

IgA 疱疹狀 皮膚炎의 治驗 1例 報告

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a chronic disease of the skin marked by groups of watery, itch blisters. It is characterized by urticarial plaques and blisters on the elbows, buttocks, and knees, although other sites may also be involved. The ingestion of gluten (the proteins gliadin and prolamin contained in wheat, rye, oats, and barley) triggers an immune system reponse that deposits a substance, IgA (immonuglobin A), under the top layer of skin. IgA is present in affected as well as unaffected skin. DH is a hereditary autoimmune disease linked with celiac disease. Treatment for DH is twofold. (1) Remove the cause: gluten. (2) Suppress the skin response with drugs such as Dapsone or some other sulphones. The latter is the most common treatment used as it is rapidly relieves the itch. However there are some side effects associated with these medications and they need to be taken under medical monitoring with blood tests to detect side effects. Recently, we experienced a DH and that was successfully treated by the herbal medication and external therapy. The medications taken by the patient were yongdamsagantanggami and external therapy were gosam and gumunhwa. So we report this case with a bief review of the oriental medical and medical literatures.